Tales of the CWF: The Ends of Time
by Ari Rockefeller
Summary: Follow the newest rock-and-roll band as take the music world by storm. (Dragon Ball Z/Tenchi/King of Fighters/Ranma 1-2/Yu-Gi-Oh) (Chapter 3 FINALLY up!)
1. Live On Stage

The Ends of Time

Okay, I've kept relatively close to the main storylines and issues like I did with most of my fan fiction, but what you're about to read is something that is my area of expertise...Multiverse fan fiction.

Usual disclaimers apply.  These characters – regardless of what anime they belong to – do not belong to me.

            The stage...it is where they let everything come out...

The fans...their shouts are deafening...

            The music...their soul is in every note, every cord, every riff of the guitars, every beat of the drums...

            And in just a few minutes, these three parts will be combined in an alchemic ritual, which will be nothing short of solid gold.

            For The Ends of Time, performing on stage to large audiences such as this one is nothing entirely new; they had hooked up to fill a few no-shows on the Anger Management tour, and most recently, a bonus act on a few dates of Ozzfest.  Their first major tour such as this one, however, is.  The Ends of Time scored a fairly large fan base when their self-titled debut album sold nearly 3 million copies.  They proved to be no fluke, either, as their sophomore album, _Deaf-Mute_, garnered six platinum records for the group.  Now, they were on tour, deep in the wake of the release of their third album, _HOPE!!_.

            Their sudden impact on the music industry breathed new life into the waning rock-and-roll scene, even (as the five members agreed on the eve of the band's formation) without the bane of MTV.

Five men – the lead singer, the lead guitarist, the bass guitarist, the drummer, and the keyboardist – waited in the dressing room in the back, the groupies and other fans requested to leave so they may complete their final preparations before going on stage.  Only a select few members of their collective – and for a few members, individual – posse remained.  But despite this, the mood in the dressing room was intensely serious, the quiet almost deafening.

            The singer's eyes kept averting to the clock on the wall time and again.  The opening band had long since left, and now the crowd was settling down, waiting anxiously for The Ends of Time to take the stage.  As he looked at the clock, he could picture the scene…beach balls and Frisbees flying around, a marijuana joint here and there passed around and shared by everyone in any given area, the pit growing restless and anxious...

            8:56.  Not much time now.  "Guys, let's bring it in," the singer said.

            Everyone in the room partook in the blessing the singer insisted on before every show.  The five band members stood in a circle, their arms on each other's shoulders with their head bowed, as the lead singer recited the blessing.  Everyone else stood closely behind the group as this ritual took place, silently praying for a good show as the singer hoped.  His words drifted through the dressing room, leaving a deep, profound impact on those in attendance.

            The lead guitarist wasn't too keen with these rituals.  He saw it as a pointless measure and thought it distracted him from his music.  And though his harbored objection to this wasn't the worst thing he's done, he has had a spat with other members of the band.  Nothing too chaotic, but it was mostly over trivial stuff.  In fact, he weren't such a great musician, it's most likely he wouldn't be in the band today.

            The "amen" was barely out of his mouth when the singer suddenly shouted, "WHAT TIME IS IT?!".  It would be answered by a shout of "SHOW TIME!" by everyone else.  "Let's keep hope alive, people," the singer said.  "On three – one, two, three..."

            "HOPE!!!"

            The walk from the dressing room to the stage wasn't too long, but it did give the band members plenty of time to think about the night.  About where they've been, what they've accomplished, and who they are.

            Namely, the lead singer is one Trunks "Mirai" Brief (real name, Trunks Brief; stage name, Trunks Mirai).

            Trunks, the same young man who was the son of Bulma Brief, the CEO of Capsule Corporation (who sponsored this tour, incidentally).  Trunks, the young man in his early 20s who was already married and "settled down".  While technically, he was an employee of Capsule Corp., and should be at "work" and not performing like this.  But Trunks had a passion for music that no one could deny.  So he took a gamble and decided to form a band and get a record deal.

            Besides, if the music didn't go the way he wanted it to, he always had his job at Capsule Corporation.

            By his side was the drummer, the co-founder of The Ends of Time, a Shinto priest in his own right, and Trunks' best friend, Tenchi Masaki.  He met Trunks in college of all places, and surprisingly, the two were virtually inseparable.  The two did random gigs throughout their college career, with other band mates coming and going.  Trunks originally played guitar – and still does – however he tends to focus solely on singing, and will play his acoustic guitar on a few songs now and then.

            The two set up a pretty strict audition process, so choosing the three other members of the band was a long and quite tiring process.  The people who came to audition ranged in varying skill levels and instruments.  Guitar players were a dime a dozen, and a great number of them Trunks and Tenchi didn't even remember their names.  There were a few who played things like saxophones and keyboards, and while a few were decent, again, no real winners stood out.  Until...

            Yugi.

            Yugi-Yame Moto, known by some as Yu-Gi-Oh, or by simply, Yugi, showed unrivaled talent and finesse behind a keyboard (or two; Yugi has two keyboards at his disposal during concerts – one for piano sounds, the other for synthesized notes, sound effects, and everything else).  Known as the "King of Games", Yugi is an interesting character.  He's as tall as Trunks, while his outrageous hairstyle added a few more inches.  His very outgoing personality made him the life of any party.  Trunks noticed he was as thin as a twig, which was even more amazing considering he could have an appetite (for junk food) that rivaled that of a Saiyan.  Yet, here was Trunks, a powerful demi-Saiyan, barely able to keep up watching Yugi's hands move across the keyboard.

_………As they approached the stage, the cries of the crowd grew louder………_

            For a while, it was Trunks, Tenchi and Yugi in a band that did not yet have a name.  Trunks would coin the name of the band later, but only after they had found the fourth – and later, the fifth – band members.

            They had been in a coffeehouse in Osaka, taking a much-needed break (Bulma insisted her son and "his new friends" go away for a weekend, possibly to help them ease their nerves).  Trunks had been to Osaka several times, and knew the city just as well as he did Tokyo.  He learned that neither of his new band mates had been to Osaka, so he figured he show them around.

            It was here they would meet their future bass player.

            She settled down at a table not too far away from the table Trunks and his friends were sitting.  She was wearing a traditional Chinese style shirt, the same shade of red as her hair, and black pants with black sandals.  Her red hair was put into a braid that went down below her shoulders.  A guitar case flopped into the chair next to her just as heavily as she did to hers.  This happened just as the guys got their coffee and snacks.

            Yugi's wide eyes were fixed on this redheaded damsel not too far in front of him and did not move for anything.  "Wow," he said in a low tone.

            Tenchi saw the way Yugi was staring at the redhead.  He snickered to himself when he saw whom Yugi was staring at.  "Like what you see there, Yugi-boy?" he asked.

            "Um...well, yeah," he eventually answered, taking a sip of his latte.  "What do you..."

            He was going to ask what the others thought of her, but they answered regardless, already knowing the question.  "She's alright," Tenchi said.  "Not too good, but not too bad, either."

            "I'd hit it," Trunks said quietly, raising his hand slightly.

            "Yeah, you would, but you've got a girl.  You're already spoken for."

            "This coming from a guy who has...what is it _three?  _Three girls willing to kill each other to jump your bones?"

            "What?!" Yugi suddenly interrupted.  "Who?  And why _you_?"

            "Hey, shut up..." Tenchi chided.  He glanced over at the girl again.  "Look, if she's that attractive to you, go over there and talk to her!  How hard can that be?"

            Well, it would've been simple, only two people approached the girl at the same time.  One was a waitress bringing the girl some tea, the other was a young man who didn't take rejection from this girl very well at all.

            "Don't you walk away from me, you stupid bitch!" the guy shouted.  He arrived at the same time as the waitress did, and bumped into the innocent bystander.  This made her drop the scalding hot water right into the girl's lap.  "Well, that's what you get!" the guy shouted.

            Trunks and his crew instinctively sprang to their feet, ready to rush over and help the screaming girl.  They wouldn't need to, as the girl's expression changed from painful to angry...as did her hair...

            Trunks and co. were shocked.  Her soft facial features hardened, became more masculine, and the color drained from her hair.  What once was red was now black instead, keeping the same style regardless.  Her arms filled out, the muscles in her arms became more pronounced.  Her breasts disappeared from the shirt she was wearing, finally completing the bizarre transformation.

            "Wh-what are you?!" the rejected young man asked.  The "girl" grabbed him by the shirt.

            "For starters," "she" said, "someone who doesn't appreciate having boiling hot water thrown in his face!"  Considering the masculine tone this person was speaking in, it was safe to say that the exposure to hot water changed him from a female to a male.  There was no logical explanation, and one wasn't about to come.  

            The bewildered young man was greeted with a palm thrust to his stomach, making him fall back a few steps and on to his knees.  The changed man pulled him to his feet and laid into him with a handful of dazzling Kung Fu moves, finishing the assault by grabbing him by the back of his shirt and throwing him across a table.

            The same one Trunks and his friends were sitting at.

            They saw the attack coming, and got away from the table promptly, but not before Yugi grabbed his coffee in one hand and his donut in his mouth.  The table collapsed as the man went into it, and Yugi couldn't help but kick the man a few times as he lay in the ruins of their table.

            Apparently, this guy had a buddy with him.  He snatched the attacker's guitar and bolted out the door.  "Hey!  My bass!" he shouted.

            The thief got a few meters away from the coffeehouse before he ran smack dab into Trunks, who had used his Zanzoken (blurred movement) technique to get in his way.  His eyes grew wide as he suddenly ran into him, just before Trunks punted him like a football.  The thug went straight up into the air, tumbling end over end – like a football – until he slammed down hard onto the concrete.  He retrieved the case just as his band mates and the other guy met him.

            "He was gonna run off with this," Trunks said, brandishing the case, "but I stopped him."

            "And how," Tenchi said, looking at the downed thug.

            The changeling took the case from Trunks, and started to walk off.  "Thanks," he said.  Trunks interrupted him, though.

            "You play bass, man?" he asked.  The guy turned around and looked at him.

            "Yeah," he said.  "It's kind of a secret hobby of mine.  See, I live with my grandpa, and we're strictly devoted to martial arts.  Quite frankly, I don't think he knows I play this."

            "Well...well my friends and I are looking for guys to join our band; you interested?"

            He shrugged.  "I don't know, I'm not as good as I'd like to be..."

            "It can't hurt to at least try," Yugi added.  "Besides, what have you got to lose?"

            This got him to agree.  They arranged a time and place to meet, but they wouldn't let him leave until they got him to explain something to him.

            "I'm cursed," he told him.  They eventually got his name as well – Ranma Saotome.  "When I was training a few years ago, I fell into this forbidden lake.  Whenever I'm exposed to cold water, I turn into a girl and stay like that until I get exposed to hot water."

            Trunks, Tenchi and Yugi were trying to come to grips with this story.  "Oh," is all they could say.

            "Well, for what it's worth," Ranma finished, "my father shares a similar burden."

            "What's he turn into," Tenchi asked, "an old lady?"

            "A panda."

………They waited at the entrance to the stage as a crewmember turned off the stage lights.  They knew the house lights were turned off as well.  The crowd popped in anticipation………

            Though they had excellent chemistry outside their music, they stalled a bit as they started to play together.  Apparently, Trunks had developed a harsh mental block.  As they got into some of the more intense and up-tempo songs, Trunks would find himself screwing up lyrics and/or chords as he played.  Slower stuff with his acoustic guitar was no problem for him, but this was something that really bothered him.  More than one rehearsal session would be hastily interrupted as Trunks ordered everyone to stop and stormed off, staring out a window overlooking the city (at Bulma's order, Capsule Corporation was willing to provide a studio for them to rehearse in, located in their corporate building in downtown Tokyo).

            Though he was encouraged to take it easy, Trunks was very bothered by this problem.  So they put their rehearsals on hold as the word went out to look for another guitar player.

            That's when they met another thin (about as thin as Yugi), unusual man.

            His attire in itself wasn't the most unusual thing about him, believe it or not – with his black leather jacket bearing a white crescent moon on the back, an extra long buttoned-down white dress shirt, black boots with a reflective polish, and red leather pants with a long matching strap of leather tied at his knees, dangling down to his ankles at its lowest point.

            What was unusual about him was the fact that he could easily manipulated crimson flames, which he channeled through his hands.  That, and he could sometimes be heard mumbling something about fighting some dude named Kyo...

            He was the most promising of the guitarists who auditioned this time, and if it weren't for another player just as talented and stubborn as he was, they would've sent everyone else home right there and then.  No one remembered the second guy's name in retrospect, just his look – a pink turtleneck and headband, purple overcoat, purple parachute pants, white boots, and blond hair standing two feet off the top of his head.  He was always blowing bubbles with his gum, too.  The other was a man named Iori Yagami.

            What started as an exchange of chords and riffs turned into a brutal display of dueling guitars.  The music rapidly grew in speed and volume, pushing the two musicians to their limit.  Iori would've been harder pressed to win if it weren't for two strings on his opponent's guitar snapping towards the end, allowing him to finish off their little duel.

            The rest is history.

………The lights went out, the guys of The Ends of Time took their positions.  Tenchi took to his drums, Yugi to his keyboards, Iori and Ranma to their respective guitars.  Trunks was led downstairs; he would stand atop a platform that would raise him to the stage………

            When Trunks takes his position, he looks up to see Iori and Ranma looking back down at him.  He rolls out his neck, cracks his knuckles, and takes a firm grip on the microphone and its companion stand before him.  With one final look up, Trunks nods, and the two disappear.  They take their positions and relay the signal to their fellow musicians.

            Let the show begin.

            The song they open up their show with fits the design of the stage quite well.  The stage looks like a blasted battlefield in the middle of a small town, with a smoky gray backdrop.  Parts of the stage bare structures that resemble remains of homes, places of business, schools, whatever.  Damaged vehicles show up here and there.  On the largest standing wall, the word HOPE!! is emblazoned in big, black letters.  The guitarists are on the far ends of the stage, while Trunks' normal position is in the center.  The order from left to right is Iori, Tenchi, Trunks, Yugi, and Ranma.  It starts with a slow, saddening riff from Iori, eventually bringing the rest of the band in.  The platform Trunks was on was timed perfectly; he appeared rising from the floor of the stage just as he started the lyrics.

            The first half of the concert was a straight run through of the _HOPE!! _CD, a tale of a city plagued by war and its citizens living in a state of perpetual fear.  Despite the torment surrounding the countryside, a few people manage to keep hope alive, even through something as mundane (to us, anyway) as making it through to tomorrow alive.

            One could look at an Ends of Time concert and be completely amazed.  These young men stirred emotions like no one in a long time.  The same voice that made people jump up and down and brought forth chaos in the pit could just as easily bring everyone to complete silence and awe.  They carefully planned the play list for the evening.  The last song before the break was a slow piece involving Trunks playing an acoustic guitar backed up only by Yugi on keyboards, entitled _Interrupt_ (the sea of burning lighters and the silence accompanied with absolute attention warmed Trunks' heart and made him smile).

            The second half consisted of playing songs from their previous albums, as well as a cover or two here and there.  Iori opened up the second half with a superb guitar solo which lit up the tens of thousands in attendance.  Seamlessly, they went into a cover of Pink Floyd's _Wish You Were Here.  _Their set lasted a total of three hours, and the last song they played that evening was their #1 hit, _Bleeding Hearts.  _All in all, their show was an astounding success, and set the bar for future dates on the tour.

            Hoards of groupies awaited them after the show, but not before they were met with a slew of reporters about halfway there.  Most of the questions were the same, but Trunks quelled them – and his band mates, first – by simply answering with one statement...

            "We have arrived."


	2. Townies

The Ends of Time

Usual disclaimers apply.  These characters – regardless of what anime they belong to – do not belong to me.

            Success.

            After taking their final bow before more than 40,000 screaming fans, Trunks, Tenchi, Yugi, Ranma and Iori walked off the stage as the curtain fell upon their stage.  For the past three hours, fans were on the edges of their seats, captivated by the rapturous music that was The Ends of Time.  All the while, fans were screaming, waving signs, banners, flags of numerous countries, and the like.  The five band members could tell that the tour they were embarking on was going to be very successful.  Also, Trunks felt like their performance set a standard for how future shows should be.  It would be a long, arduous tour, but it would also be very rewarding in the process.

            Now was the time to prove how good they were.

            After the show was a rather large party held deep within the bowels of the venue.  Tenchi, Yugi, Iori and Ranma partook of the beer, liquor, and the oddly-way-overeager groupies.  Many of the fans with backstage passes were given autographs and such, and for the most part didn't get _too _out of hand; if they did, security could easily have them booted.

            "Hey Masaki-kun," Iori groaned, discarding a finished bottle of Absolut Vodka.  "Where'd that purple-haired guy go?"

            "Trunks?" Tenchi confirmed, "You know where he goes after the show..."

            _Yeah, that's what worries me about the boy..._Iori thought to himself.

* * * * *

            Unlike his other band mates, Trunks doesn't spend every waking moment after a successful show getting too badly wasted.  No, his mind and body are elsewhere.

            He stopped in for a few beers and signed an autograph (and posed for a few pictures), but after about a half hour, he "went on an excursion," as Ranma once called it.  What everyone else knew about but didn't quite understand was Trunks' journal.  He brought himself a black leather-bound folder with a tablet of yellow, college-ruled paper stuck in it.  The Capsule Corporation logo was printed on a gold circle, and set into the lower right hand corner of the cover.  A small loop was stitched into the inside cover to hold his pen.

            Trunks walked out of the arena and headed to one of the more secluded areas outside the building.  When he was sure no one was looking, he power-jumped, boosting himself with his ki, up onto the roof of the arena.  The arena was on the outskirts of the city, and from Trunks' vantage point, he could see the skyline perfectly.  There was a full moon tonight, and as Trunks lay back on the roof, he looked up at it, with a small smile.  It was such a beautiful night.  Throwing another glance at the city skyline, he took his pen and began to write…

Entry:  4 Mar 2004 

_I said that we would arrive, and arrive we did.  Tonight's show was nothing short of spec-fucking-tacular.  Granted, it still unnerves me a bit, seeing thousand upon thousands of anonymous strangers hanging on to our every word, every action, every note.  And I often wonder...just how much better can we get? Are we just going to...plateau sometime and become mediocre?_

_Nah...I should know better to think about stuff like that.  I'll deal with that shit when it arrives.  Until then, I've got to make sure those four don't do anything stupid..._

            With a satisfied smile, once he finished transferring his thoughts to paper, he replaced his pen and jumped off the roof.  He slipped back to where the party was at, just in time to help Ranma and Yugi get the now passed out Iori onto the couch.

            He should really consider getting the five of them out of there.  They'll be traveling across America by bus for the tour, and while it is a luxurious ride, long hours on the road can take a large toll on one's being.

TIME:  The next day

LOCATION:  I-79 North, West Virginia (en route to Pittsburgh and Wheeling)

            Iori was seated on one of the large, plush couches set against one of the inside walls of the bus as it weaved through the Appalachian Mountains.  His gaze drifted out one of the windows, but only to find more of what he's been seeing for the last uncountable hours...lots and lots of mountains.  Green mountains.  Trees.  Iori rolled his eyes in boredom as he looked elsewhere inside the bus.

            The bus itself is Capsule Corporation property (complete with a bus driver hired by Capsule Corp.).  Originally starting out as a Greyhound bus, Bulma had it transformed into a hotel on wheels for the five men of The Ends of Time.  The front half of the bus was a lavish living room with a state-of-the-art entertainment setup against one wall.  A flat-screen TV was the focal point of the complex, and things such as DVD players, video game systems, and a booming sound system were more or less mandatory.  A long, black leather couch leaned against one wall, and met the contour of the wall where the bathroom was.  A narrow hallway separated the living area from the sleeping area, with the aforementioned bathroom to the left and a kitchenette on the right.

            You could tell Capsule Corporation did the layout, because a portion of the back of the bus was the bedroom for Trunks and his wife.  Inside, it looked no different from and middle-class family's master bedroom – a full-size bed in the middle and enough room to walk around all sides save for the headboard.  It was in its own separate room.  The other band mates slept in comparatively modest beds set against one of the walls.  They were set up in a 2x2 fashion, and resembled single-serving hotel capsules that Iori had the displeasure of staying in once.  Iori remembered he felt like he was sleeping in a coffin.  Had he been claustrophobic, his band mates would've certainly paid for it.

            Speaking of Trunks...Iori checked his watch.  It was about 9:00 in the morning local time, and he noticed only he and Yugi were awake.  Trunks and that ditzy wife of his, a "space police officer" named Mihoshi probably decided to sleep in this morning.  Though she appeared to be an airhead, she was their manager on the road.  Her purpose – as Trunks put it – was to make sure the money The Ends of Time made stayed in The Ends of Time's hands.  Given a choice in the situation, he'd rather be awake all by himself.  Yugi wasn't helping him any, as the only thing he was concerned with was that damn video game he was playing.

            What the average fan doesn't know is that Yugi's title of "The King of Games" doesn't stop at _Duel Monsters.  _Yugi is a natural at all forms of games, be they video, card, or otherwise.  Interesting enough, he has the largest video game collection of The Ends of Time by far.  Not only that, his collection of trading cards from various collectible card games such as _Magic, Duel Monsters, _and even _Pokémon _ranges in the tens-of-thousands in value.

            Right now, he was playing his GameCube, furiously battling hoards of villains in _Star Fox Adventure._  His hands were moving a mile a minute across the controller, and he frequently crossed and uncrossed his legs over and over.  On the coffee table just a few feet in front of him lay a refillable Übergulp, which was drained of its previous contents – 96 oz. of Pepsi Blue.  Iori figured Yugi must've drunk the entire contents, and was desperately fighting the urge to take a piss.

            "You alright?" Iori asked, not being able to help himself.

            "I'm fine," Yugi said with a nervous twitch.  "Just...a little...longer..."

            Iori's eyebrows shifted and his lips pursed.  Normally, if someone was going to destroy their body in any fashion, Iori wouldn't care, so long as it didn't affect him in the process.  But this time, Iori couldn't help himself.  True, it was amusing seeing Yugi squirm and wince in agony, and any other time, he would just sat back and watched with a smile.  This time, however, he wasn't in a malicious mood.

            "Perhaps you should take a break for a moment..."

            Yugi's arms were outstretched as his hands moved faster.  "Can't...break...the seal!"

            "You know, this couch isn't paid for yet, I don't think.  And it's quite expensive."  His eyebrow arched.  "Am I going to have to get a towel?"

            Yugi didn't respond, but shifted his position nervously once again.  When he finally reached his goal and an FMV sequence started to play, he moved suddenly and surprisingly.

            "Finally!" he shouted.  In one motion, he sprung up from his seat, tossed the controller aside – almost at Iori – and made a beeline for the bathroom.  Iori nonchalantly caught the controller as he watched Yugi run like a madman, holding it by the wire.  For several disturbing moments, sounds came from the bathroom, which were reminiscent of a loud, over-exaggerated money shot in a bad porno film.  Iori looked at the emptied Übergulp.  He held it upside down over his head, and was disturbed by the fact that he could fit most of his head within the hardened plastic.  _And he actually _drank _all of this?_

            The next sound he heard was that of a door opening, but it wasn't the bathroom door.  It was the door to the sleeping area, and judging by the voice, it was a rather groggy Trunks.  The cup was still over his head, for the sudden new presence startled him a bit.  Trunks, though not fully awake, looked at Iori and his...unusual headgear.

            "Nice hat, Iori," Trunks remarked with a slight yawn.

            Iori didn't see Trunks, but could gauge his position by the sound of his voice.  He flashed a middle finger in the appropriate direction. 

* * * * *

            "Hey, check it out, a town," Ranma said.

            For miles upon miles, they had been traveling through the mountains with little more than a few parks and rest stops to break the consistency of trees and mountains.  A few miles from the West Virginia/Pennsylvania border was an exit ramp leading into a small town.

            "Great, now finally we can get back in touch with civilization, ne?" Tenchi added.

            Trunks shrugged.  "Sounds like a plan."  He leaned forward so the driver could hear him.  "Excuse me, driver?" He pointed at the approaching exit from his seat, partly imagining the driver seeing what he was pointing at.  "Take this exit here, if you would."

            "Yes sir," the driver answered.  The bus slowed as it took the ramp, and it entered the town itself.

            The town in question was very quaint.  A small town, nestled in the mountains, it was an example of typical small-town U.S.A.  Off Main Street, there was a fairly large community college, and it didn't take long to figure out that they were in a college town – meaning without the college, there would be no town.

            They pulled into the parking lot of a Sheetz gas station/mini mart as they got gas for the bus.  By now, everyone was up and about.  It was quiet for this time of day, and only a few workers and one or two patrons were there with them.  Chances are, they wouldn't see hoards of fans stampeding their way towards them should they show their face in public.  So it was deemed safe to go pick up a few things.

            "So who's up for grabbing some munchies?" Tenchi asked.  "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry as all hell."

            "I say we make Yugi get them," Iori asked.  On the coffee table, Iori noticed Yugi's _Duel Monsters _deck.  He has just lit a cigarette when he noticed said deck, and had calculated a nasty plan to get the keyboardist to do all the grunt work.  He picked up the deck and absentmindedly thumbed through the cards.

            "I say not," Yugi answered.  He heard the conversation take place as he was brushing his teeth, and came out of the bathroom after just rinsing out his mouth, toothbrush still in hand.  "Here's an idea – why don't you run out, huh?  You need to do something productive around here, _and _you're the only one fully dressed!"

            "He's got you there," Ranma said, glancing out the window.  The place looked almost abandoned.

            Iori sighed, and stopped looking through Yugi's deck.  He found the one card he was looking for – Yugi's favorite.

            "I guess you need some...motivation, Yugi-boy," Iori said.  He flashed the aforementioned card, and extended his bony index finger on his other hand.  In a flash, a small, purple flame appeared on the tip of his finger, and he slowly drew the burning ember closer and closer to the card...

            "NO!  NOT THE DARK MAGICIAN!" Yugi wailed, diving atop Iori, trying to wrestle his favorite card out of his hand.  The two struggled back and forth for a while, before falling off the couch, collapsing to the floor.

            "Never mind, I'll go," Trunks said.  He was wearing a black tank top and red mesh shorts as he put on a pair of brown leather sandals, fed up with the commotion Yugi and Iori were causing.

            "You have no idea how much that card's worth!"

            "Piss off, you dork!"

            "Damn my human limbs...!" 

* * * * *

            _It's way too early to deal with this..._Trunks thought to himself.

            Trunks walked into the Sheetz with several mental notes of what everyone else wanted.  Sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc., Trunks got what was needed.  He spent nearly $40 on food, and carried the goods out in several overpacked plastic bags that were just screaming in agony.  But that wasn't the end of Trunks' problems for this morning.

            As Trunks left the store, full bags of groceries in arms, he was approached by someone belonging to a local church...or so they looked.  He was straining under his purchases, and it was starting to hurt his arms a bit.  His polite nature took over, though, and he felt obliged to at least listen to what these people had to say.

            "You sir," a middle-aged woman said as she stopped barely a foot in front of the demi-Saiyan.  She was flanked by a man about his late 40s with a very rich head of black hair.  "You look like a young man who is missing something in his life..."

            "...like what?" Trunks answered.  "I love my job, I have a beautiful woman as my wife, and I'm quite satisfied with life.  What am I missing?"  He was telling the truth when he spoke to these people.  They had a small table set up – with..._what is that, Methodist?  Evangelist?  _Some religious symbol on a white banner draped over the front of the table – with a box of some kind of snack bar.

            "Well, have you found the Lord, young man?" the woman continued.

            Trunks sighed.  He knew where this was going.  "Yes, I have, and no, I'm not interested in your cause.  Goodbye – "

            This time the man, who was probably the woman's husband, approached, and began to address the singer.  "But why do you claim to be in God's good graces while you insist upon poisoning yourself with such ill-gotten goods?"

            Trunks' eyes grew wide.  "I brought this for myself and my band mates with my own money!  Are you calling me a thief?"

            "This food!  This garbage!  Son," he plucked a large bag of Funnyons from Trunks' groceries, "God did not intend for His children to eat things like Funnyons!  Cast off such poison and eat the way God wants you to eat!"

            "And how's..."

            He quickly pulled the snack bar he was trying to peddle right up to Trunks' face.  They led him over to the table and they explained the purpose of a snack called the "Bible Bar."  _Great, _Trunks thought, _first Iori and Yugi nearly burn down the bus and now I'm surrounded with fanatics...what's next?_  They went on an on about this "all natural whole food bar containing the seven foods which the Lord calls good in Deuteronomy 8:8 – Wheat, Barley, Honey, Figs, Olive Oil, Grapes, and Pomegranates."  Trunks was familiar with the aforementioned Bible verse, but hadn't the slightest idea what a pomegranate was.  _So what's the catch?_ he asked himself mentally.

            "Oh, no catch, my boy," the man reassured.  "We just ask you for a small donation.  One dollar a piece!  Can't go wrong with a deal like that now, can you, son?"

            Trunks sighed again.  Here he was, a married man with a career, yet he was still being called "son" by this guy who was much smaller than he was.  Still, he didn't want to be rude and blow these otherwise nice people off.  "Very well," he said, giving in.  He held out his right arm to the man.  "Could you hold these for me while I get my wallet?"

            He complied, and Trunks reached for his wallet.  It slipped out of his hand, and he knelt down to pick it up.  His back was to the church people, so he didn't see when they stuffed about half a dozen Bible Bars into one of the bags.  He turned around, handed the dollar to the lady, took the one he did pay for, and left.

"Well, it can't be too bad," Trunks said to himself, unwrapping his purchase, "right?"  He took a bite of it, finding a rather unusual taste.  He started to walk again, and suddenly froze in place.  His eyes snapped open, wide as saucers.  A strange feeling started to crawl around his body.  _Good Lord, _Trunks said to himself.  He was visibly shaking by now.  _This...this is fucking disgusting._

The feelings subsiding and his composure surely but slowly returning, Trunks got back onto the bus, and was pleased to see that not only was the bus still in one piece, but everyone was calmed down.  That, and Mihoshi was awake as well. He disposed of the half-eaten Bible Bar in a trash can without anyone else noticing.  

            As the bus began to pull away, Trunks rejoined the others.  "Here we go, people," Trunks said, dumping the bags onto the table.  Like hungry wolves, they began sorting through the items.  Trunks decided to wait until everyone was done rummaging before getting his share.  He hadn't picked up too much for himself because he wasn't as hungry as everyone else was.

            He saw Tenchi's hand eagerly grab at what looked like a random candy bar, but was in fact, another Bible Bar.  _Wait a second, I only brought one!  And they weren't even that good!  What's going on here?_  "Um..."

            Tenchi didn't get to hear the warning, because he had already wolfed down the entire bar in two eager bites.  As he swallowed it, he began to clutch his stomach in pain.  "Jeez, Trunks," he said, "what the hell _was _that?"

            That was all he got to say.  He began convulsing, and as he screamed in agony, his skin began to lose its color.  It became...stark white.  Then it began to turn gray.  Tenchi started to move like he was in slow motion.  Before long, he completely turned to stone.

            "TENCHI!" Trunks shouted, nervously touching his best friend's form.  He was indeed a statue.  "Oh shit, we gotta go back!  Driver, turn the bus around!"

            "What happened to him?" Ranma asked, just as perplexed.  He noticed a sinister glare in Trunks' eyes and cringed.

            "I know exactly what happened..." 

* * * * *

            Storming off the bus with fire in his eyes, Trunks – flanked by Mihoshi, Iori, and Ranma and Yugi, who were carrying the petrified Tenchi – marched over to the same church people he spoke to earlier.  They completely ignored the few others there, who had recognized them as The Ends of Time.  "Alright, just what the hell's in those things?" Trunks demanded, grabbing the man by his collar, pulling him up to eye-level.

            "Really, my boy," he said, nervously, "it wasn't that bad, now was it?"

            He pushed him over to Ranma and Yugi, who were carrying the statue of Tenchi.  "LOOK WHAT IT DID TO MY BEST FRIEND!" Trunks shouted.  The site of the petrified drummer did little to shake him.  "I only brought one of those things, and quite frankly, they taste like shit!  You people got a lot of explaining to do!  But first thing's first – change him back _right now!_"

            The man did little to abide by Trunks' wishes.  "I suggest you change your attitude, boy."  He gripped Trunks' hand, which was still fastened to his collar, and began to squeeze.  His idea was to attack the pressure points in his hand, but after putting forth a great deal of effort with no results for a while, Trunks spun around, and slammed him to the pavement so hard he cracked the parking lot.

            "I run with some of the strongest warriors in the entire universe," Trunks explained.  "If you're going to stop us, you need to step it up a notch."

            Slowly, the old man got to his feet, and was red in the face.  He began shouting at the group in the same method as a televangelist would.  It soon became no doubt that these people _are _televangelists.  His long, denouncing speech was nonstop, until he paused for a few moments.  He drew a can of hairspray out from nowhere, and saturated his hair with it, making it now stand about two feet off the top of his head.  "All that hairspray..." Iori thought out loud.  

            Ranma was the first to act, jumping in the air and attacking with a hard karate chop to his head.  His hand met hair, hair that felt like solid stone.  Ranma staggered away, clutching his wounded hand in pain.

            Iori cupped his hand, and a purple flame appeared just above it.  He laughed, which drew the televangelist's attention.  He saw the crimson fire, and screamed.  "No fire!  Hairspray!" he shouted, "Back, demon!"  Iori threw the ball of fire like a softball at the man with the tall mound of hair, and it found home, igniting the towering hairball into a towering inferno.  He wailed like a banshee as he ran around the parking lot in random patterns.

            "Ugh...unnh...what happened to me?"

            Trunks, Yugi, Ranma and Mihoshi gathered around Tenchi as he slowly began to revert to normal.  "Tenchi!" Trunks shouted, supporting most of his best friend's weight.  "You alright?"

            "Uh, yeah, I'm fine now," he slurred.  Trunks draped one arm over his shoulder, while Ranma followed suit with the other.  They five band members eventually boarded on the bus, and The Ends of Time left the Sheetz.

            Meanwhile, the fiery televangelist was no closer to putting out his hair.  In his random running, he collided with a young woman who was about to fill up her Mazda Protégé.  She saw the man running her way, and threw up her arms instinctively.  Gas had already begun to pour out, and the man ran right smack into the flow of gasoline...

**_KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!_**

            A large ball of fire lit up the mid-morning sky.  The five members of The Ends of Time looked out the windows of their bus in complete shock and surprise.

            "Whoa..." Trunks whispered quietly.

            "Man, that's a big explosion!" Yugi stated.

            Trunks, Yugi, Tenchi and Ranma looked at Iori, who was watching the holocaust take place with mostly indifference.  He sat back down on the couch and lit another cigarette.

            "Humph," he grumbled.  "Townies..."


	3. How you doin?

The Ends of Time

One thing I'd like to point out about this fanfic is that it's not a series the way Tenkaichi Budoukai or Pokémon: Warrior's Desire is.  Each of these little stories is capable of standing on their own, in my opinion.  I guess what I'm saying is that as long as the band is together (in terms of the storyline), this fanfic won't have any real "ending" like my other fics will have.

Usual disclaimers apply.  These characters – regardless of what anime they belong to – do not belong to me.

TIME:  Sometime early 2003

LOCATION:  NBC Studios, New York City

            "CUT!  THAT'S A WRAP, PEOPLE!"

            After a long, strenuous day of filming, the final scenes had been shot and production was finished for this episode.  The cast came out to the main part of the set (the main protagonist's home living room), and thanked the audience, who was applauding and cheering wildly.

            With the studio audience departed and the other cast members off doing their own thing, the lead of the show – whom the show is named after – retired to his dressing room to get changed and get out of the studio.  Life as a now-famous comedian had been a bit of a break from the ordinary for Joey Wheeler, but he took it in stride.

            Unknown to many of his closest friends and family (even his baby sister Serenity, who he notoriously keeps _nothing _from), Joey had been dreaming about being a funny-man for years, even throughout school.  A few performances at local clubs gave the nervous Philadelphia native a badly needed boost of confidence.  Soon, he was growing more and more popular, and by now had landed a few movie cameos and had even garnered a few appearances on Comedy Central, particularly, _Comedy Central Presents.  _Finally, Joey was given a major chance with NBC.  Soon, Joey was starring in his own prime-time sitcom, aptly titled _Joey.  _

            _Joey _is nothing like the real life and times of Joey Wheeler, save for the fact that it's supposed to be set in Philadelphia (much like Drew Carey with his namesake show).  In it, Joey's character Joey Russo is an ex-divorcee who's in the process or rekindling his marriage with his wife, whom he has been separated from for three years.  His son lives with his then ex-wife (whose characters is played by twins, go figure), and since their separation, the two have seen very little of each other.  In the meantime, Joey's character is the owner of a highly successful and competitive arcade, which is where another big chunk of _Joey _takes place.

            Right now, _Joey _is in its third season.

            As Joey changed out of his costume and into his normal attire, he checked his cell phone and noticed he had several messages waiting for him.  Only two were of prime importance to him in this case—one was from Lorne Michaels, the producer and pretty much his boss_._  Apparently his show was generating a lot of praise for his show, and was offered to host _Saturday Night Live _for next week (being Thursday, this coming week's show had been booked for a while).  The second was from his girlfriend, Mai.

            "Hmmm…" Joey mused to himself.  "Wonder if she's on her cell right now…" He looked up the entry for Mai's cell phone number in his phone's phonebook, and dialed her number.  It rang on the other end a few times, making Joey a bit worrisome.  He wasn't about to get into another game of cell-phone-tag with her, and was hoping she would pick up to spare him leaving a message.  Thankfully, it did.  "Hey Mai, it's Joey  …  Hey, babe, what's going on?  I got your message.  …  Yeah, work's done for today.  I got all the time in the world right now.  …  Well how's this sound:  up for grabbing some dinner?  You name the place, babe.  …  That's just fine with me.  …  All right.  Listen, I'm headed back to my place to get changed; I'll pick you up around 7:00, okay?  …  Great.  Love ya."

            Joey hung up the phone and put it in his inside jacket pocket.  He still wore that green jean jacket he had made infamous during the early years of his career, and made it his trademark, for the most part.  It fit him like a glove, and was in some form always there with him, like an old friend.  Joey left the studio and promptly hailed a taxi to take him to his apartment.

* * * * *

            That evening, Joey did what he said he would—after getting ready for the evening, he took Mai out to dinner at her favorite Chinese restaurant in all of the city.  The two both ate their share; while Mai was a knockout in her own right, she wasn't about to turn into some pencil-thin waif or starve herself stupid to fit in.

            Besides, she has ways of burning it off.  Not only that, Joey happened to adore her voluptuous figure.

            Once they finished their meal, the waiter arrived with the check and a small plate with two fortune cookies on it.  Without more than a fleeting glance at the bill, he fished a credit card out of his wallet and handed it back to the waiter with the check.  He reached for one of the cookies.  "How much was it?" Mai asked, her head titled to the side just a little.

            "What, the bill?" Joey asks, his South Philadelphian accent breaking through.  "Ah, it was about thirty-some.  Don't worry about it."  He pulls the cookie apart, and pulls out the slip of paper inside.  Mai had done the same, but at a much quicker pace than he did.  "What's yours say?" he asked, noticing a similar slip of paper in her delicate hands.

            "Hmmm…it says, 'Many options lay open before you'."

            "…in bed," Joey added with a smirk.

            Mai blinked for a second.  "What?"

            "Huh?"  Joey looked a bit surprised.  "Oh.  Uh, it's just an old habit.  I don't know where I got it, but I just got into the habit of taking the words 'in bed' on the end of those things."

            "Cute.  But…do they still make sense when you do that?"

            "Not all the time.  It just makes them seem a bit…"

            "Weird?"

            Joey paused for a second.  "That's…one way of putting it."  He looked at his, and already began to chuckle inwardly.  He had already tacked the words 'in bed' to the end of the fortune as he read it to himself, with the end result being nothing short of _bad.  _He just had to read it aloud now, considering the look Mai was giving him.  "Alright," he started, "listen to this one—'Your good deeds will be repaid to you several times over…"

            Neither could resist at this point.  "…in bed!" they both added simultaneously, laughing.  The waiter had returned with Joey's credit card and a receipt for him to sign.  He signed it, put his card back in his wallet and stood to leave.

            "By the way Joey," Mai asked as Joey threw on his jacket.  "Didn't you say you had some special project to work on next week?"

            "Huh?" Joey couldn't believe he let it slip his mind throughout dinner.  He mentally kicked himself as he told Mai about his new project.  "Oh, that.  I got a call from my boss during shooting today.  They want me to host _Saturday Night Live _next week."

            "That's great!" Mai said.

            "Yeah, and it's about time, too.  I've been wanting to do that for a while, too."

            "So who are they gonna get to play the night you host?"

            Joey rubbed his chin as they made it to the doors of the restaurant.  "You know, I don't know.  They told me they weren't booked in that respect yet, and if I had any ideas to lay them on them."  He looked over to the right before they walked out the doors, and Joey turned and went in that direction.  "Hold on a sec, I need to use the bathroom first."  He disappeared into the men's room shortly thereafter.

            The bathroom was very well kept, not like some of the restrooms some places offered.  As he headed for one of the urinals, he saw young man with long hair drawn back in a ponytail at the sink, a handful of soap and a fresh tattoo on his left bicep.  He stuck his hand in the water and rubbed it slowly up and down his arm, cleaning the tattoo, which was no more than half a day old.

            He suddenly froze as he locked eyes with Joey in the mirror.  "Holy shit, it's Joey Wheeler," he said, a bit taken back.  The young man turned around to face him.  "No way!  Awesome!"

            "Uh, hey," Joey said with a nervous nod.  He was always a bit shy around his fans, regardless of what the setting was.  Meeting a fan in the bathroom like this didn't help to ease his nerves too much.  He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the tattoo on the kids arm.  "Ouch.  That looked like it hurt," he said.

            "Only at first, bro," the fan said, still not fully accepting that this was _the _Joey Wheeler standing before him.  He turned to show him the tattoo.  "Check it out, man!"

            Joey took a few steps forward and looked at the tattoo in question.  His eyebrows furrowed as he recognized the emblem on his forearm as the insignia for the band The Ends of Time.  It looked pretty expensive too, considering that every last detail of the distinctively shaped blue and silver letters EoT was captured on this guy's wiry bicep.  "Looks pretty good, my man," he said.  Hey, it did.  Joey had been a fan of The Ends of Time in his own right, especially because an old friend of his, Yugi-Yami Moto, was a member of the band.  This suddenly stirred memories in Joey's head of the two of them from back in the day.  He knew their band was doing well, but ever since their mutual success, they hadn't seen or heard from each other in quite a long time.

            Joey suddenly got an idea.

            "Hey guy," the young man said, a black Sharpie in his other hand.  "I…I don't want to be a bother or anything, but…could you sign my arm for me?"

            Joey was just as suddenly brought out of his trance.  He looked at the young man with the tattoo and registered what he said in his mind.  "Yeah, sure, why not," he said, taking the marker from him.  He quickly wrote his name just below his tattoo, and returned the marker.  "There you go."

            "You rock, man!" checking out the autograph in the mirror.  He slid down the sleeve on his shirt before leaving the bathroom.

            As Joey watched the guy leave, he suddenly knew who would make a perfect musical guest.  He reached for his cell phone.

TIME:  Simultaneously

LOCATION:  A hotel suite somewhere in Boston

            While the evening began to settle on the East Coast, the Ends of Time were getting settled in their hotel room for the evening.  Tomorrow night and the night after that, HOPE!! would take Boston by storm, rocking the city to its very core.  Tonight's events, however, were more on the lighter side.  The five members of the Ends of Time – Trunks "Mirai" Brief, Tenchi Masaki, Yugi-Yami Moto, Ranma Saotome and Iori Yagami – were slated to appear at a record signing at a Tower Records store downtown.  That would be just fine.  It's a great way to get in touch with the fans in lieu of losing touch with reality.

            "I still can't believe we're not all in jail right now," Ranma mused as he flopped down in one of the large, cushy armchairs in the main room of the suite.

            "What's wrong?" Iori said with a smirk, knowing full well why Ranma would be upset.

            "Well gee, I don't know, it's not everyday I turn a gas station into a towering fireball!"  Ranma folded his arms and glared at Iori.  "You seem to be the sociopathic type, Yagami-san.  Why don't you tell us what it's like to set public places on fire?"

            Iori shrugged.  "Well, with all due respect, he came after us first," he argued.  "_We _were merely defending ourselves."

            "Point," Tenchi said, joining in this discussion.  "But _who _was it who set the preacher's hair on fire?"

            "Hey, it was his fault for using three cans of hairspray on that…that…" Iori shuddered.  The look of that giant hairball that zealot sported disturbed Iori to no end.  "Let's just never speak of that day again, alright?"

            "Fine by me," Ranma said.

            Meanwhile, as the conversation was picking up, Yugi was occupying himself with the refrigerator the suite provided.  He opened the door and checked out its contents.  A few champagne bottles caught his attention immediately.  He drew one of them out and looked at the labels.  His eyebrow arched in surprise.  "Chilled Cristal, eh?" he said, eying the bottle.  He looked around for any glasses, and after finding them in a cabinet, drew out six of them and took them and the bottle into the living room.  "Hey, you guys want something to drink?" he said, brandishing the bottle.

            Once everyone had agreed on Yugi's offer, he went to work getting the cork out.  In the end, he was bent over, the bottle between his waist, pushing on the cork with both thumbs.  At the same time, Trunks and Mihoshi were out on the balcony, the door wide open, looking out over the city.  With a loud _pang!, _the cork popped off, and flew across the room like a bullet.  It careened out of the suite, and slammed into the back of Trunks' head.

            Trunks lurched forth violently as the cork smacked him in the back of the head before plummeting to the street below.  Mihoshi shrieked in shock as Trunks groaned in pain, while everyone else laughed heartily at Yugi's aim.  "Nice aim, Yugi!" Iori shouted.

            Trunks turned around, rubbing the back of his head.  "The hell was that?" he shouted, noticing the wide-eyed look on the face of Yugi, who was still holding the bottle of Cristal.  His eyes were wrenched away from the keyboardist as another sound assailed their ears.  The cork had tumbled to the ground and slammed into the windshield of a car, the sound of shattering glass and the car alarm audible from up there.  Trunks and Mihoshi threw a shocked glance over the balcony before wisely retreating inside.

            Moments later, Trunks' cell phone rang.  He fished it out of his jacket pocket and turned it on.  "Yeah?"

            "Yo, is Yugi there?"

            "Who is this?" Trunks asked suspiciously.  "And how'd you get this number?"

            "Look, man, could you put Yugi on?  I'm a friend of his."

            "Sure."

            "Really!  Yugi and I go way back!"  Trunks pulled the phone away from his ear to save his hearing.  "You need to let me talk to him!"

            "Who is that?" Yugi asked.  "Joey?"  
  
            "Yugi!"

            Trunks shrugged, and tossed him the phone.  "Joey?  What's up?  …  Hey, that's awesome, man.  …  We're doing fine—where?  Boston.  We got two shows, tomorrow and Friday night.  …  Next week?  We're coming to New York.  …  Yeah, I look forward to seeing you too, my friend.  …  What's that?  …  Me?  I'd love to.  I'll have to check with the others, first.  One sec."  He put his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.  "Hey guys?"

            "Who's on the phone?" Tenchi asked.

            "It's my friend Joey," Yugi answered.

            "Doesn't he have a show—" Trunks went to ask.

            "Yeah, that's the one.  Say guys…do we want to go play _Saturday Night Live _next week?"  After a few moments, the consensus was in favor of the appearance.  "Joey?  Sure, we'll do it.  …  Just give us the details of what we'll be doing before we get to New York, okay?  …  Awesome.  See you then."  He hung up the phone and lobbed it back to Trunks.  "Well guys, come next Saturday, we'll be playing SNL _live _to the entire world!"

            Trunks raised his glass.  "Well then, here's to great live music and bringing Boston and New York to the ground, people!"  They each drank the über-expensive champagne at their own separate paces.

TIME:  Next Saturday  
LOCATION:  NBC Studios, Rockefeller Center

            The stage lights were dim as the five assembled behind their instruments and microphones on stage.  They went to a commercial after finishing a skit – one in which Joey was featured in – and were tuning up, ready to play.  The band plus Joey and his girlfriend Mai (to Yugi's surprise) had a blast working together this week, hanging out with each other and the cast of _SNL.  _Before they returned from the break, Joey approached the band as they were tuning up.  They had rehearsed several songs over the week in between shows and finally decided on "Guardians of Light" for their first appearance and "Through the Night" for their second.  The band members felt great about themselves.  This would be great.

            "So how you liking the show so far?" Joey asked.

            "It's going great so far," Trunks said, adjusting his microphone stand.  "Great time so far."

            "Hey, I knew you guys would enjoy it."  He heard a stage manager give orders for the band to get ready.  Joey walked over to Yugi at his keyboards.  "Good luck, you guys."

            "Thanks, Joey," he said.  They high-fived, and Joey took his place in front of the camera.  He stood there a few seconds, waiting, until the red light turned on atop the camera, and the cameraman pointed at him.  That was his cue.  He rehearsed how he was going to introduce the band the first time, and finally decided on a method that would surely win the crowd over.  This was what the world was watching, so why keep the world waiting?

            "Ladies and gentlemen, THE ENDS OF TIME!!!"


End file.
